Despite What You’ve Heard Jesus Never Permitted Divorce

October 19, 2016 | Comments Off on Despite What You’ve Heard Jesus Never Permitted Divorce

It is a common misconception that Jesus permitted divorce in certain circumstances, those circumstances being unfaithfulness or spousal abuse. However, this is simply not at all what Our Lord taught.

Matrimony, The Seven Sacraments, Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445

When it comes to Bible translations, it is important that we use accurate translations, especially with a Catholic Bible. You can not trust that a Protestant Bible will be accurate, as it has been demonstrated that they deliberately mistranslate it so they can validate their Protestantism.

Looking at Douay-Rheims, the official Catholic translation, we read the following:

And there came to him the Pharisees tempting him, and saying: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Who answering, said to them: Have ye not read, that he who made man from the beginning, Made them male and female? And he said: For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away? He saith to them: Because Moses by reason of the hardness of your heart permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery. His disciples say unto him: If the case of a man with his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry. – Matthew 19:3-10

Additionally in the Gospel of Mark we read:

And the Pharisees coming to him asked him: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. But he answering, saith to them: What did Moses command you? Who said: Moses permitted to write a bill of divorce, and to put her away. To whom Jesus answering, said: Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you that precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife. And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house again his disciples asked him concerning the same thing. And he saith to them: Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if the wife shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. – Mark 10:2-12

In both Gospels, we read that Jesus never permitted divorce and further condemns remarriage. In the case of adultery, Jesus allows for the adulterous spouse to be put away, but He does not allow for them to find another spouse. Once the wedding has occurred, and husband and wife have consummated their marriage, they are no longer two, but one, and can only be separated by death.

Many within the Church are encouraging those who have divorced and have remarried to step forward to receive the Holy Eucharist. However, as we see from the mouth of Our Lord that this is not His Holy Will, but the will of the enemy. It is not a matter of disciplinary teaching, but doctrine, a doctrine that can not change.

It is not unloving to point out Our Lord’s teachings, as He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Keep true to Christ’s teachings and His Church, even if her members do not.